A Word You Know, A Story You Probably Don't

Tennyson captured it best when he wrote, “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die.”

The line still lingers when we look back at the Charge of the Light Brigade, and at the name that survived it.

During the Crimean War, officers in the Light Brigade wore knitted, buttoned garments for warmth beneath their uniforms. Over time, that style became known as the cardigan, taking its name from the Earl of Cardigan himself.

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James Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, is remembered less for leadership than for the disastrous cavalry charge that defined his legacy.

The moment became a symbol of bravery, miscommunication, and rigid command. Yet while the battle faded into history, the name endured in an entirely different way.

Despite the failure, Brudenell’s reputation survived largely intact, cushioned by class and connections.

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And strangely, his name endured not through battlefield glory, but through fashion.

History has a way of smoothing its rough edges. Names become objects. Failures become footnotes.

Sometimes the past hides in plain sight, woven into the things we use every day without a second thought.

The cardigan is one small reminder that history doesn’t only live in books. Sometimes, it’s hanging quietly in your closet.

If you'd like to read the full poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade, you can find it here.

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